The end of student behaviour management – a plan for change

For years the pastoral care structure in schools has been predicated and structured on the term ‘behaviour management’. As a term, it has helped focus attention more on negative classroom behaviour, and has assisted in the transfer of the responsibility of engaging a student from the teacher to the middle-level management in a school.

I am calling for the burying of the term ‘student behaviour management’, using instead, the term ‘student engagement management’. In doing as much, the change in language should also encourage a stronger focus on the desired behaviour, along with a stronger expectation on the teacher to be the primary engager of students.

This can be achieved by understanding the mind states of engagement and disengagement (in our language, Blue and Red Zones respectively), teaching this to students, building a classroom accord with students that fosters a Blue Zone environment and using strategies that reconnect students to that accord.

Don’t be mistaken – this is not about becoming more ‘matey’ and friendly with students, not is it the relaxing of expectations of behaviour. More, it is the maintenance of strong expectations that are framed within the best learning environment in the classroom. One of the best ways to ensure engagement is to make sure you address the five necessary conditions of engagement:

• Safety – physical, social and emotional
• Clarity – knowing the expectations
• Autonomy – allowing students to choose their behaviour and responding accordingly
• Relatedness – listening to, unconditionally respecting and believing in each and every student
• Fairness – expectations applied consistently and unconditionally

(Adapted from David Rock’s SCARF model).

Of all of the above five ‘essential elements’, the fourth is the one that creates engagement in students most quickly, and most strongly. The principles and skills outlined in The Success Zone, indeed, focus on creating engagement through the three basic needs of students of being unconditionally respected, being listened to and being universally believed in.

So what would it take to ditch ‘student behaviour management’?

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to manage behaviour in the classroom (guardian.co.uk)
• Houston School Teachers Have a Problem (abcnews.go.com)
• New Teachers ‘Can’t Cope With Pupil Violence’ (news.sky.com)